Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury
A Trinity Industries spinoff company won a $12.6 million bench trial judgment for damages incurred from a flopped wind tower deal with a customer. But the customer is resisting the result with a new motion that alleges the eight-figure judgment is not supported by the evidence.
A magistrate judge in Austin has ordered the lawyer for legal recruiter Evan Jowers to reconsider a brief filed by Jowers that heavily criticized the judge in response to a sanctions warning.
“Judges like you are the reason most Americans who are frivolously sued … don’t trust the court system to defend themselves, even if they can raise the funds,” the brief states.
2020 proved to be a tense year for Texas commercial litigators. Many courthouse doors remained shuttered for in-person proceedings and jury trials were nearly non-existent. The stresses of client needs and operating a law firm loomed at home. But it’s necessary to also recognize the highlights and headways that advanced the world of litigation as lawyers trudged through the dark tunnel created by COVID-19. Natalie Posgate picks 10 of these moments.
While not tied with a bow, U.S. District Judge Karen Gren Scholer issued a ruling this week that employers who often find themselves as defendants in wage and hour lawsuits will likely view as Christmas coming early.
A magistrate in Austin has threatened sanctions against a legal recruiter and his lawyer for "scorched earth discovery tactics" in his trade secrets case against another legal recruiter. One side is calling the order “well deserved” while the other side is calling it “sensational.” Natalie Posgate has been following the case for The Lawbook. Let her explain.
An appeals court has declined to revive a lawsuit that claimed Five Point Energy usurped a $460 million corporate opportunity from a portfolio member, but the ruling does more than provide a nine-figure sigh of relief for the Houston private equity firm. Natalie Posgate explains.
Apple received kudos when it rolled out a stock of emoji that revealed diverse skin colors along with their typically diverse emotions. But a Texas woman has filed suit in Waco contending that Apple stole the concept when she approached the company about a partnership. Bruce Tomaso has details of the litigation.
An amended petition in a dispute between San Marcos-based Quantum Materials and K&L Gates is now armed with more ammo and the possibility of a steeper price tag should K&L lose the malpractice battle. But the Philadelepha-based global firm has responded publicly for the first time.
Covid-19 be damned, Texas is the place to legally protect your intellectual property. Waco, the birthplace of Dr Pepper, the death place of two-dozen ancient Mammuthuss, the scene of the Branch Davidian and Twin Peaks biker gang tragedies is now the undisputed patent litigation capital of the world. Some Dallas law firms expect to open branch offices in Waco in 2021. Plus, Judge Alan Albright discusses the Waco jury pool and Zoom trials.
A Fort Worth federal judge denied an unopposed motion to continue an in-person jury trial that involves lots of out-of-state travel and one of the lawyers currently testing positive for COVID-19. The Lawbook has the details.
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